Last May, Sandal Factory expanded its presence into North Carolina when it opened its Emerald Isle store, offering a variety of high-quality coastal merchandise and souvenirs. At that time, Store General Manager Sarah Newsom shared that the retailer had plans to continue to expand its footprint in the Carolinas.
And Sandal Factory did just that — the seaside retailer opened a new store in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, on Memorial Day weekend. With a 6,500-square-foot storefront, Newsom says the new location is packed with footwear, beach apparel, drinkware, bags, souvenirs and more.
“We’re able to have a wider variety of vendors at Atlantic Beach than at Emerald Isle with the larger space,” she explains. “There’s a lot more to choose from.”
The new storefront stands out with several vendor-focused wall displays. “O’Neill, Roxy, RipCurl and Billabong are installing their own personal walls with their own look and lights. It’s really cool,” she adds.
Newsom says the store also has a 1980s-themed display for its new Pit Viper merchandise. “It’s centered around an old videogame system from the 1980s that you’d see at an arcade, except it’s a display for sunglasses,” she says. “You can move a joystick and lights move around it. We even have a mannequin display next to it with old ‘80s hats and vintage gear. A lot of people love it — it gives you that Back to the Future vibe!”
Aside from sandals, beach shoes and top apparel brands, seasonings and other gifts are popular sellers for both the Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle stores.
“We have everything at Sandal Factory, including mints and other novelty items,” she shares. “The seasonings, people love them and get a kick out of them. A unique paper bag comes free with each seasoning purchase, too.”
Coconut-scented floating candles from North Carolina-based Koppes Kandles has also been a hit at the new Atlantic Beach store.
“People love finding merchandise actually made here in North Carolina,” Newsom says. “We try to offer local goods as much as possible.”
Newsom adds that she hopes word continues to spread about the new Sandal Factory location in Atlantic Beach.
“In Emerald Isle, we’re doing better than we did last year. Our sales are doing really, really well there,” she says. “We want to make sure that we can make the Sandal Factory store in Atlantic Beach a must go-to destination as well.”
